Werner Herzog on DVD

Discuss North American DVDs and Blu-rays or other DVD and Blu-ray-related topics.
Post Reply
Message
Author
User avatar
Blissful Sinner
Joined: Wed Nov 03, 2004 3:24 pm

#1 Post by Blissful Sinner » Sat Aug 13, 2005 6:39 pm

Was browsing and found out that Wheel of Time and White Diamond will both be released on October 25th.

Extemely exciting news though I've seen neither. I hope with the release of Grizzly Man we'll start to see more Werner Herzog on DVD. I won't be happy until all of his films are availabe.

User avatar
emcflat
Joined: Thu Mar 10, 2005 7:12 pm
Location: Chicago
Contact:

#2 Post by emcflat » Thu Aug 25, 2005 11:51 pm

Jesus, had to thank you real quick for this post. Rented from netflix, and your description was dead on. Would have been twice as good with the original narration, however. But, now I'm one step closer on the road to being a Herzog completist. I find myself as of late consuming his work as rabidly as possible..

ape
Joined: Tue Jul 19, 2005 4:19 pm
Location: NJ, USA
Contact:

#3 Post by ape » Fri Sep 09, 2005 10:23 pm

I'm looking to be able to view more of Herzog's older films, but I'm hoping someone can lead me to the best available DVD versions of his stuff.

Can anyone recommend some starting points?

User avatar
Matt
Joined: Tue Nov 02, 2004 12:58 pm

#4 Post by Matt » Fri Sep 09, 2005 11:37 pm

I would think Aguirre, Fitzcarraldo, and Nosferatu would top any neophyte's list. You pretty much can't go wrong with this.

User avatar
jesus the mexican boi
Joined: Fri Nov 05, 2004 5:09 am
Location: South of the Capitol of Texas

#5 Post by jesus the mexican boi » Sat Sep 10, 2005 11:09 pm

I agree, it's a terrific set and worth every penny, though I must admit, I bought the set on impulse at BestBuy because it was mis-priced.[/quote]

And, it's part of the Anchor Bay sale on RIGHT NOW at DDD, for ~$44 with free shipping.

ape
Joined: Tue Jul 19, 2005 4:19 pm
Location: NJ, USA
Contact:

#6 Post by ape » Sun Sep 11, 2005 4:48 pm

Excellent. I had my eye on that set, but I wasn't sure if it was up to snuff. Thanks for the feedback and the lead.

User avatar
emcflat
Joined: Thu Mar 10, 2005 7:12 pm
Location: Chicago
Contact:

#7 Post by emcflat » Mon Sep 12, 2005 9:24 am

The "Woodchuck" disc will also contain "La Soufriere."

User avatar
DDillaman
Joined: Thu Nov 04, 2004 5:56 pm
Contact:

#8 Post by DDillaman » Mon Oct 31, 2005 5:44 am

so WHEEL OF TIME and WHITE DIAMOND are apparently out on DVD now, though I can find no reviews of them. Anyone seen the DVDs? I'm particularly curious about WHEEL OF TIME, which I haven't seen.

User avatar
jesus the mexican boi
Joined: Fri Nov 05, 2004 5:09 am
Location: South of the Capitol of Texas

#9 Post by jesus the mexican boi » Mon Nov 07, 2005 1:20 pm

DDillaman wrote:so WHEEL OF TIME and WHITE DIAMOND are apparently out on DVD now, though I can find no reviews of them. Anyone seen the DVDs? I'm particularly curious about WHEEL OF TIME, which I haven't seen.
I ordered both from DDD, were shipped separately, DIAMOND arrived, WHEEL went AWOL, DDD re-sending...

I really really liked WHITE DIAMOND, a signature Herzog doc, with its foolhardy hero, its breathtaking imagery, its diversion into ancillary characters and situations, its willingness to put Herzog in the middle of the action. If you liked LITTLE DIETER and GRIZZLY MAN, WHITE DIAMOND floats somewhere in between.

DIAMOND was shot on hi-def video, and looks fine for such. No Herzog commentary other than his narration. No extra film-specific features except a filmography. Lots of Wellspring trailers for unrelated films.

User avatar
solaris72
Joined: Tue Nov 02, 2004 3:03 pm
Location: Baltimore, MD

#10 Post by solaris72 » Wed Dec 07, 2005 7:32 am

DROOL! Maybe this is why Criterion hasn't put out any of Herzog's films. The price is kind of steep, (150 euros=~$174) and if shipping is counted as for 6 items (as I suspect it might) then it's a grand total of $203.99 for those on this side of the Atlantic, but it's 21 HERZOGS (plus 4 films about Herzog)! I already own Lessons of Darkness, Fata Morgana and Werner Herzog Eats His Shoe, but will gladly rebuy, even at this high price (just as I felt with Eraserhead, at least the inflated price is giving more money to the man who made the films rather than to Kino or New Yorker). Glad I never got around to buying New Yorker's Land of Silence and Darkness and Herzog shorts collection. Maybe this will have better transfers.
wernerherzog.com wrote:Region code 0/NTSC
Which no doubt means English subtitles (Herzog's website had previously announced new editions of all of his films, but they were only announced for Germany, France and Italy, and carried German commentaries with no sign of subtitles, so I wasn't sure at first when I read about the new set).

User avatar
DDillaman
Joined: Thu Nov 04, 2004 5:56 pm
Contact:

#11 Post by DDillaman » Wed Dec 07, 2005 7:44 am

176.50 Euros, with three films I already own (and another that's on my Christmas list). Argh. This may be the hardest decision I make in the next two months.

Wonder why GESUALDO didn't make it when other out-on-DVD ones did, not that I'm particularly complaining. I would love to see FILM SCHOOL, though, although that may be a box set unto itself. (Also missing, according to HERZOG ON HERZOG - THE LORD AND THE LADEN, PILGRIMAGE, THE TRANSFORMATION OF THE WORLD INTO MUSIC, LES FRANCAIS VUS PAR ..., and GAME IN THE SAND (which Herzog has threatened to destroy the negative of, so its exclusion ain't really a surprise). I suppose LITTLE DIETER is missing as well, but again, already own it.)

User avatar
solaris72
Joined: Tue Nov 02, 2004 3:03 pm
Location: Baltimore, MD

#12 Post by solaris72 » Wed Dec 07, 2005 8:00 am

DDillaman wrote:Also missing, according to HERZOG ON HERZOG - THE LORD AND THE LADEN
Already available on DVD.

User avatar
jesus the mexican boi
Joined: Fri Nov 05, 2004 5:09 am
Location: South of the Capitol of Texas

#13 Post by jesus the mexican boi » Wed Dec 07, 2005 10:20 am

I suppose it's highly doubtful these will be available through other retailers. Anyone have any info on that?

Also, in addition to the boxset, you can order the discs individually (if you only wanted some discs and not others), and many of the other films NOT on the box are available individually (like PILGRIMAGE).

Wonder why Herzog chose to do this after having so many of his films released through Anchor Bay, Wellspring and New Yorker (and recently, too). This box would negate the recent New Yorker discs, at least.

User avatar
denti alligator
Joined: Wed Nov 03, 2004 9:36 pm
Location: "born in heaven, raised in hell"

#14 Post by denti alligator » Wed Dec 07, 2005 10:48 am

Has anyone by chance heard the Herzog commentaries on the German DVDs versions of his major films? I'm curious how they differ from the English commentaries on the Anchor Bay discs. I'd love to hear these. Too bad you can't get them separately or download them as audio-only files. Anyone have the German discs?

User avatar
Gordon
Joined: Thu Nov 11, 2004 8:03 am

#15 Post by Gordon » Wed Dec 07, 2005 12:20 pm

Wow! Wow! Wow! Amazing. This is what I have been wishing for since I got the second Anchor Bay box.

Could this package perhaps be, primarily for the German customer, though, with a different box to be released by Anchor Bay UK? Am I right in saying that no-one owns the rights to any of the shorts in the UK? The VHS tapes were released by Connoisseur Video, but those are now OOP. It would be a real drag if I forked out for this set and then next year, Anchor Bay UK released their own box, at a lower price and perhaps with commentaries. £110 is pretty steep. I think I'll wait for a while.

Faith and Currency is also not part of this set, although the brilliant God's Angry Man with the late Dr Gene Scott and Huie's Sermon are included, thankfully. Faith and Currency is rarely screened; I haven't seen it and I don't know what its exact focus is, other than what the title obviously alludes to.

Great news, but I'm not jumping in feet first.

User avatar
NABOB OF NOWHERE
Joined: Thu Sep 01, 2005 12:30 pm
Location: Brandywine River

#16 Post by NABOB OF NOWHERE » Wed Dec 07, 2005 1:03 pm

Great news, but I'm not jumping in feet first.[/quote]
Well I for one am jumping in with both feet and a hard on!!

User avatar
DDillaman
Joined: Thu Nov 04, 2004 5:56 pm
Contact:

#17 Post by DDillaman » Wed Dec 07, 2005 3:32 pm

solaris72 wrote:
DDillaman wrote:Also missing, according to HERZOG ON HERZOG - THE LORD AND THE LADEN
Already available on DVD
.
Right, as are plenty of other things that made the box - my point was more that it fits the criteria but was excluded.
gordon mcmurphy wrote:Faith and Currency is also not part of this set, although the brilliant God's Angry Man with the late Dr Gene Scott and Huie's Sermon are included, thankfully. Faith and Currency is rarely screened; I haven't seen it and I don't know what its exact focus is, other than what the title obviously alludes to.
It's not mentioned on Herzog's site (which even mentions GAME IN THE SAND!) or in HERZOG ON HERZOG, and I wonder if the original title of GOD'S ANGRY MAN (CREED AND CURRENCY) has got misrepresented over the years or something.
jesus the mexican boi wrote:Also, in addition to the boxset, you can order the discs individually (if you only wanted some discs and not others), and many of the other films NOT on the box are available individually (like PILGRIMAGE).
um, where is PILGRIMAGE available? The Herzog site lists a mysterious "music only" DVD for 25 Euros (which, at 18 minutes of music, makes the box set suddenly seem WB-priced by comparison). Other than that, no obvious results in the first few Google pages, Amazon, etc.

User avatar
jesus the mexican boi
Joined: Fri Nov 05, 2004 5:09 am
Location: South of the Capitol of Texas

#18 Post by jesus the mexican boi » Wed Dec 07, 2005 4:05 pm

DDillaman wrote:
jesus the mexican boi wrote:Also, in addition to the boxset, you can order the discs individually (if you only wanted some discs and not others), and many of the other films NOT on the box are available individually (like PILGRIMAGE).
um, where is PILGRIMAGE available? The Herzog site lists a mysterious "music only" DVD for 25 Euros (which, at 18 minutes of music, makes the box set suddenly seem WB-priced by comparison). Other than that, no obvious results in the first few Google pages, Amazon, etc.
My read on that was that the film is itself wordless, featuring only the music of "world famous British composer Sir John Tavener." Hence the "music only" DVD. No need for subtitles.

rwaits
Joined: Tue Dec 21, 2004 12:24 pm

#19 Post by rwaits » Wed Dec 07, 2005 9:22 pm

Doesn't 150 Euro sound a bit steep? Thats not a rhetorical question, as I absolutely love Herzog, and am definitely considering this purchase. What does that total in U.S. dollars?

User avatar
emcflat
Joined: Thu Mar 10, 2005 7:12 pm
Location: Chicago
Contact:

#20 Post by emcflat » Thu Dec 08, 2005 1:50 pm

All of this aside, I am still holding out hope for a Criterion DVD of "Where the Green Ants Dream." Seems like the most likely bet for a Herzog Criterion, for a few reasons:

1. It's in English (makes an easier sell in R1)

2. According to imdb, was distributed in the US by Orion Classics (Slacker, Au Revior Les Enfants, Ran)

3. It's sort of a one-off for Herzog and would stand well by itself.
The fact that Herzog's people are saying none of these will be released elsewhere also limits the playing field. It would also make more sense than Criterion re-issuing anything that Anchor Bay put out. Time to pop my cherry and email Mulvaney, I suppose.

Anyway, regarding this set, it's a dream come true. I hope that anyone who picks this up will give us a review regarding picture quality, etc. I feel that this will soon inevitably become one of the crown jewels of my collection. I'm excited.

User avatar
Gordon
Joined: Thu Nov 11, 2004 8:03 am

#21 Post by Gordon » Thu Dec 15, 2005 9:26 pm

rwaits wrote:Doesn't 150 Euro sound a bit steep? Thats not a rhetorical question, as I absolutely love Herzog, and am definitely considering this purchase. What does that total in U.S. dollars?
Including the shipping, it comes to $210.50, unfortunately.

rwaits
Joined: Tue Dec 21, 2004 12:24 pm

#22 Post by rwaits » Thu Dec 15, 2005 9:46 pm

Whoa, unfortunately, this one probably isn't an option after all.

User avatar
Nihonophile
Joined: Thu Nov 04, 2004 12:57 am
Location: Florida
Contact:

#23 Post by Nihonophile » Thu Dec 15, 2005 10:10 pm

emcflat wrote:All of this aside, I am still holding out hope for a Criterion DVD of "Where the Green Ants Dream." Seems like the most likely bet for a Herzog Criterion, for a few reasons:
1. It's in English (makes an easier sell in R1)
2. According to imdb, was distributed in the US by Orion Classics (Slacker, Au Revior Les Enfants, Ran)
3. It's sort of a one-off for Herzog and would stand well by itself.
The fact that Herzog's people are saying none of these will be released elsewhere also limits the playing field. It would also make more sense than Criterion re-issuing anything that Anchor Bay put out. Time to pop my cherry and email Mulvaney, I suppose.
Anyway, regarding this set, it's a dream come true. I hope that anyone who picks this up will give us a review regarding picture quality, etc. I feel that this will soon inevitably become one of the crown jewels of my collection. I'm excited.
I won't argue with your reasoning why 'Green Ants' is the most likely candidate for a criterion release since your argument is logical unfortunately I couldn't imagine this film being released by Criterion since it is such a weak film. If I recall correctly Herzog himself in 'Herzog on Herzog' doesn't even regard the film as much of a success.

This film has all the right things in place however the story of the main character is predictable and rather trite. Paying $30 for this film seems out of the question unless Criterion prepares special features that absolutely demand a purchase of the DVD.

User avatar
Gordon
Joined: Thu Nov 11, 2004 8:03 am

#24 Post by Gordon » Sun Dec 18, 2005 7:19 pm

I have the region 2 German DVD of Where the Green Ants Dream from Arthaus, which has a good anamorphic transfer, commentary by Herzog and critic Laurens Straub (in German; no subtitles, unfortunately), Herzog's 1989 TV documentary, Wodaabe - Die Hirten der Sonne. Nomaden am Südrand der Sahara (Wodaabe: Herdsmen of the Sun) (49 mins) which isn't one of Herzog's best films, but is still an interesting and appropriate extra. The trailer is also included.

Anamorphic 1.85:
Dolby 1.0 - Original English dialogue
Dolby 1.0 - German dub (plus optional German subtitles)

Order here: www.amazon.de/exec/obidos/ASIN/B0006JMKFI

User avatar
Oedipax
Joined: Wed Nov 03, 2004 8:48 am
Location: Atlanta

#25 Post by Oedipax » Mon Dec 19, 2005 3:20 am

Damn, that's an amazing box set. Maybe I can justify it to myself if I consider how cheaply I acquired the two Anchor Bay boxes, but I don't know... Argh.

Post Reply